Dr Sin Yong · MBBS (NUS) · MRCS (Edin) · MSc Aesthetic Medicine (London) · MSc Practical Dermatology (Cardiff) · International KOL
The two commonest pigmentation problems in Singapore look alike — and are treated almost oppositely. Getting the diagnosis right matters more than the technology.
Get Assessed FirstSun spots are deposits — relatively straightforward to treat. Melasma is different: hormonal, chronic, relapsing, and heat-sensitive. Treat it like a sun spot and it comes back darker. In our climate, heat alone can set it off — hot yoga, a steamy commute, even the laser meant to treat it.
Melasma, sun spots, post-inflammatory pigment and background redness are separated before any device is chosen — because each responds differently, and one worsens with the wrong tool.
Turning the energy up feels like progress and often triggers rebound — darker than the starting point. Settings are kept careful and staged, chosen for Fitzpatrick III–V skin common in Singapore.
Melasma is chronic and relapsing. It is managed — with staged treatment, heat-trigger awareness and daily sun protection — rather than promised away. That is the honest version.
“Melasma responds badly to heat and aggression. It's why I'm conservative here, and why I take it slowly.”Dr Sin Yong
Melasma vs Sun Spots — Treated Almost Oppositely
They look alike but are treated almost oppositely. Sun spots respond relatively predictably to laser. Melasma is hormonal and heat-sensitive — aggressive lasering can trigger rebound pigmentation darker than the starting point.
Melasma responds badly to heat and aggression. If your pigmentation worsened after a session, stop and get reassessed before booking the next one.
It is chronic and relapsing — managed rather than removed. Any honest plan starts conservatively and includes daily sun protection. Response varies and is assessed in person.
Heat and UV. One degree off the equator, UV is high year-round — and heat alone can set melasma off: hot yoga, a steamy commute, even a laser set too aggressively.
Diagnosis before device: pigment type identified first, then conservative staged treatment matched to your skin — long-pulsed and picosecond modes at careful settings — with strict sun protection alongside. See also the R2 Glow Laser and T2 Frax Radiance pages.
A Private Aesthetics Analysis with Dr Sin Yong establishes which pigment problem you actually have — before anything touches your skin. Learn what the analysis covers.
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